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Actelion says it is disappointed by the decision made by Scottish cost regulators to refuse NHS funding for pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Uptravi. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) issued guidance not recommending use of Uptravi (selexipag) for a sub-population of adult patients with the potentially life-threatening condition, which leads to an increase in blood pressure

One of England’s top Chief Medical Officers has called for DNA testing to become standard routine on the NHS in order to improve patient care. Professor Dame Sally Davies has stated she wants to see whole genome screening (WGS) utilised in a manner akin to blood testing or biopsies so that treatments can be personalised

Sandoz, a division of Swiss pharma giant Novartis, reveals that two of its biosimilars: Rixathon (biosimilar rituximab) and Erelzi (biosimilar etanercept) are now available in the UK for use in Europe. Both new medicines have proven to be non-inferior to their reference products, MabThera and Enbrel, respectively. Both products are approved in all the same

A vaccine to immunise people against high levels of cholesterol and the narrowing of the arteries caused by build-up of fatty material (atherosclerosis) may be possible following successful results in mice. Now, a phase I trial in patients has started to see if the findings translate to humans. The study, which is published today in

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is backing routine NHS use of Amgen’s Kyprolis as an option for treating patients with multiple myeloma at first relapse. In a Final Appraisal Determination, the Institute has recommended the drug in combination with dexamethasone for adults with relapsed multiple myeloma (RMM) who have received one prior

Novartis has entered a clinical research collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb to investigate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Mekinist in combination with Opdivo and Opdivo + Yervoy regimen. The cancer treatments are being used as a potential option for metastatic colorectal cancer in patients with microsatellite stable tumours where the tumours are proficient in mismatch

Patients with severe and uncontrolled asthma found that taking AstraZeneca’s experimental drug benralizumab in a late-stage study either significantly reduced the need or stopped altogether their intake of oral corticosteroids (OCS), the drug was also shown to dramatically cut related hospitalisations.

The US biotech announces that it has licensed a late-stage stroke drug that could be the first treatment advancement in the therapy area since the 1990s. Biogen will pay Remedy Pharmaceuticals $120 million for Cirara, which is currently heading towards Phase III trials in ischaemic stroke. If Ciara makes it to the market, it could

As European Union leaders prepare for Brexit negotiations with the UK, Ireland has stepped up its bid to make Dublin the new home of the EU’s medicines agency. The EMA looks relatively certain to leave its current residence in east London because of Brexit, and many EU cities are eager to be chosen as the

Report by The Patient Association in association with Danish pharmaceutical company, LEO Pharma, has highlighted a significant gap between training and support available for primary care and needs of those living with psoriasis in the UK and Ireland.